New stretch target

The more money we raise, the more widely we will be able to promote FRED within the UK - bringing more opportunities for children, especially those in disadvantaged communities, to benefit from being read to regularly by their dads.

So do please keep donating to FRED, and help us give the gift of storytime with dad to even more children...

About the project

Reading a bedtime story with dad…it's such a magical, powerful ritual, which brings huge benefits to children's education and wellbeing.

But for too many children in the UK today, it’s simply not happening. Research shows that reading-with-dad impacts powerfully on young children’s literacy development, behaviour and self-confidence - over and above what mums are doing. But dads read a lot less to children than mums do - one UK father in three reads to his young child no more often than once a month.

Fathers Reading Every Day

With Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) we can start to change that. FRED helps dads understand how important their reading is - and supports them to get into the habit, even if they work long hours or only see their children at weekends.

It's a simple, home-based 'reading for pleasure' programme offered through primary schools. FRED takes just four weeks - but its impact has the potential to last a lifetime.

Developed in Texas, we have adapted and piloted FRED in the UK, and an independent evaluation found that children who took part were over four times more likely than their peers, to improve their reading levels.

FRED brings dads and children together, and has been shown to boost children’s communication skills, vocabulary and confidence. It even improves their maths! And its biggest impacts are on the most disadvantaged children, who need the most help to do well.

What's the money for?

We want to bring FRED to 3,000 children and their dads in the UK this year - focusing particularly on areas of high deprivation. As a first step towards reaching that goal, we need to raise £5,000, to pay for a schools liaison manager and some simple marketing materials - to get schools signed up for FRED from September.

Maybe you're a dad who loves reading stories to their children, or loved reading with your dad when you were a child - and you want other children to benefit from the same experience.

Maybe you've lost your dad and want a way to remember and salute the relationship you shared.

Maybe your dad wasn't around, and you understand what it's like to be a child who misses out.

Whatever your motivation, please help us give more children the gift of storytime with dad.

Rewards

£10 or more

£10 Reward

We will send you a personal thank-you email and include your name - or that of a child or dad, perhaps - on the FRED page on our website.

Estimated delivery: 1st Oct 2015

£20 or more

£20 Reward

As for £10 + ten limited edition FRED bookplates, so you can personalise a child's library, and a download of our FRED book (an anthology of stories by leading children's authors) when published in summer 2016).

Estimated delivery: 17th Jun 2016

£50 or more

£50 Reward

As for £20 + a further ten bookplates + a paperpack copy of the FRED book

Estimated delivery: 17th Jun 2016

£100 or more

15
of 30
claimed

£100 Reward

As for £50 + join us for a FRED lunch in London, including a story reading by Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou.

Estimated delivery: 1st Oct 2015

£500 or more

£500 Reward

As for £100 + we will organise a FRED event in a school of your choice, including FRED materials and introductory training.

Estimated delivery: 1st Oct 2015

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